Search results for "Special Education"
showing 10 items of 218 documents
Identities of special needs education in the discourse of Finnish professors of the field
2011
This article examines both the discourses upon which Finnish special needs education professors draw when speaking about their field, and the consequent identities for it. The research material consists of theme interviews with 10 professors of special needs education and is analysed from a socio-constructionist, discourse analytical perspective. The results show that the professors defined special needs education from two separate viewpoints: on the basis of their own personal views, or on the basis of the classical definitions of special needs education. The professors spoke about the field through five different discourses: professional, emancipatory, relativistic, autonomous and critica…
Computer graphics applications in the education process of people with learning difficulties
2007
This paper describes the use of Real Time graphic applications as educational tools, specifically oriented to working with people who have certain learning difficulties. We first focus on identifying the most relevant traits (from a psychological point of view) of those disorders, then we continue by analysing the advantages of graphics in Real Time in this context, and how they can be used to complement the conventional teaching methods. Finally, we review the main characteristics of two applications belonging to this category, which serve as a practical example of this encounter between education and technology.
Special education students in transition to further education: A four-year register-based follow-up study in Finland
2016
Abstract This study examines the transition of special education students into upper secondary education in Finland. The national register-based school-level dataset comprises three compulsory school-leaving cohorts of 2004, 2006 and 2009 including all students and schools providing lower secondary education. Special education students (Tier 3) are divided into four different groups based on their curriculum adjustments. The school-level effect of special education provision is evaluated with statistical models exploiting the panel nature of the data. The results show that there are significant differences in participation in upper secondary education between the groups with different level…
Developing a Curriculum for Mentally Retarded Adults ‐‐ a cooperative project between the university and the practitioners
1996
Abstract As recently as six years ago, after their compulsory education was over, it was very difficult for severely and profoundly mentally retarded people in Finland to receive further education. The regional units within the social‐services sector financed a four‐year project which was carried out at the University of Jyvdskyld, during this project an adult‐education plan was produced, its implementation was monitored and the content of adult education and the training of staff was developed. During the experiment the mentally retarded people involved became more actively involved in the different activities, and a considerable improvement was observed in their independent daily living s…
From special tasks to extensive roles: the changing face of special needs teachers in Finnish vocational further education
2014
Following the development of inclusive education in vocational education and training (VET), the discussion about the prevention of marginalisation and dropouts has increased. At the same time, the formal education system has strengthened the position of support services, such as special educational needs (SEN) teachers, social workers and counsellors. However, a confusion of roles in the work of SEN teachers seems evident. The changing work of SEN teachers has not been of great research interest in Finland. The focus has been mainly on SEN teachers at the secondary school level (Kivirauma and Kuorelahti, 2002; Strom, 1999). The work of vocational SEN teachers has been studied by Kaikkonen,…
Virtual reality school for children with learning difficulties
2005
This paper describes the process starting from the identification of educational needs of children with learning difficulties to the design of a fully interactive virtual school, where it is possible to learn about the physical and social world. The fundamentals of this design are the exclusive advantages that Real Time Graphics offer for developing tools in which children can learn while playing. This development has been done in the framework of a strongly-funded project by the Spanish Government. This ongoing project is in its final stage of development and will produce tools which are valid both for special and mainstream education, ready to be used and tested over final users.
Identifying objectives for a learning space management system with value-focused thinking
2017
A classroom with a blackboard and some rows of desks is obsolete in special education. Depending on the needs, some students may need more tactile and inspiring surroundings with various pedagogical accessories while others benefit from a simplified environment without unnecessary stimuli. This understanding is applied to a new Finnish special education school building with open and adaptable learning spaces. We have joined the initiative creation process by developing software support for these new spaces in the form of a learning space management system. Participatory design and value-focused thinking were implemented to elicit the actual values of all the stakeholders involved and transf…
Special Education in Finland
1990
FINLAND is a small North‐European country with a population of about 5 million. It has historical ties with Sweden and Russia. Consequently, there are two official languages in the country: Finnish and Swedish. The education system is based on a 9‐year comprehensive school. Education is compulsory for all children between the ages of 7 and 16. Health and welfare services for children with disabilities are mainly provided within the regular services but special services are ensured by special laws. Special education services are provided at every level of education and learning environment modifications range from remedial education to individual instruction at home. In the comprehensive sch…
Dignity for the Deaf in the Educational Environment: A Comparison Between Finland and Mexico
2021
This article offers a theoretical and practical comparison between the special education systems for the deaf in Finland and Mexico. The theoretical approach of research perspectives in Chou et al....
Examining the Efficacy of an Intervention to Improve Fluency and Reading Comprehension in Spanish Children with Reading Disabilities
2011
The main goal of the present study was to examine the efficacy of a multi‐component programme to improve reading fluency and text comprehension in Spanish children with reading disabilities (RD). Special needs teachers were trained in the application of the programme, which included repeated reading plus phonological awareness training and grapheme–phoneme decoding training. Instruction was delivered one to one. Participants were 22 students with RD, aged 10–13, distributed in two groups: one with 12 children who received the intervention (experimental group), and the other with 10 children who received no intervention (comparison group). The effects of the training programme were evaluated…